Loading unit for luggage carriers



Nov. 7, 1933- J, RlTTER, JR 1,934,509

LOADING UNIT FOR LUGGAGE CARRIERS Filed June 10, 1952 IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1933 LOADING UNIT FOR LUGGAGE CARRIERS Julius Bitter, Jr., Racine, Wisl, assignor to Hartmann Trunk Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 10, 1932 Serial No. 616,420

Claims.

This invention'relates in general to improvements in loading units for luggage carriers such as hand luggage and trunks.

An object of the invention is to provide 5 improved garment holder for hand luggage and the like, which is simple and compact in construction, and which is also highly eflicient in operationand use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved loading unit for luggage carriers, which may be bodily removed from the carrier while loading or in order to hang the garments supported thereby in a closet, and which may also be quickly and conveniently applied to a luggage carrier when packing the garments for transportation.

A further objectoi the invention is to provide an improved luggage carrier wherein one or more full-length garments may be compactly stored without wrinkling or damaging, andfrom which any selected garment may be conveniently removed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved garment storage device wherein one or more garment hangers are. locked in place by a single garment engaging member; and which eliminates necessity of providing spe-'- cial garment. retaining, means other. than the device itself, for the purpose of maintaining" the garments confined within. a luggage carrier section.

Another object of the invention is to' provide an improvedholderv for garments, whichmay be conveniently loaded or unloaded at a point re motely removed from the luggage carrier with which. it is intended to cooperate, and which is adapted to effectively confine the garments within such carrier.

A further object of the invention is" to provide, a rigid anddurable garment supporting and confining unit which. may be utilized to'advantage in conjunction with various types of lu gage housings or transporting devices.

Stillanother object of the invention is'to'provide an improved articleof manufactureconsisting of. a garment holder comprising a frame with which one or more garment'hangers' are detach ably associated, together with means for looking, the hangers to the frame when in. garment confining position within a. carrier. case.

Another object of they invention is toprovide a garment carrier tray'which may be" loaded while resting loosely uponthe main section of an open luggage carrier case, and which. is automatically locked. into the cover section'to' con-'- ceal the garments therein, by merely swinging the cover section into closed position. i A further object of the invention is to provide improved garment holding tray adapted to confine a maximum number of garments withinminimum space; and which can be utilized as a tray'for loading garments in hand luggage and trunks, or for storing the loaded garments in closets and dressers.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the present invention and of the mode of constructing and of utilizing garment carrier trays built in accordance therewith, may be hadjby referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which likerefer ence characters designate the same or similar parts'in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a luggage carrier embodying the invention, with the 1m proved loading unit positioned on the body see tion of the luggage carrier for the reception or removal of garments; 1

c Fig; 2 is a vertical section of the loading unit equipped luggage carrier with the carriersec tions in closed position and with garments in folded disposition on the loading unit; g I

Fig. 3 isa vertical section takenlongitudinal 1y through the luggage carrier in open position and" looking into the open cover section, said view showing the improved loading unit with its garment folding member in lowered position and in section; v

Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the loading unit;

Fig. 5 is a' front view of the loadingj unit' tipped vertically in position to be depended'in' a closet or wardrobe remote from the luggage car-' rier; and 7 Fig; 6 is anenlarged detail sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

While the invention has been shown herein as being specifically applied to a' relatively small and" light luggage carrier, it will be apparent that the novel features are capable of more general" application and that the specific disclosure should not therefore be construed as" an intent to limit the scope;

The luggage carrierspecifically illustrated in the drawingcomprises a main section Shaving a cover sections hingedly connected thereto, and a'tray-like loading frame 10 bodily removably mountable on" ledge supports 11 therefor in the body section and adapted to be'engag'ed by spring clips 12 within the cover section to be automatically locked within said cover section when the carrier sections are swung into closed position. The main section 8 may be provided with a carrying handle 13 and when the cover section is swung into closed relation with respect to the main section it may be so locked by means of latches 14. The cover section is adapted to be held in sub stantially upright position when open, by means of folding retaining stays 15.

The tray-like garment loading frame 10 is composed of a flat, relatively thin base16 with a pair of laterally spaced brackets 1'7 secured to side portions of a face of the base at right angles to the plane thereof. A rear wall 18 may extend between the inner ends of said brackets. The forward end portions of said brackets are relatively low while the mid-portions thereof are considerably higher and are formed with hand openings 19 for convenience in grasping the loading frame to lift or move it bodily. From the medial portion said bracket plates slope downwardly rearwardly and said sloping portions are provided with one or more U-slots 20 inclined slightly rearwardly from vertical and provided at their entrances, on one side, with inwardly directed projections 21 to prevent undesired removal of hanger bars when the loading frame is in a vertical position, as in Fig. 5. The respective U-slots 20 of, the two opposed brackets are alined, and the inner ends of the slots of a bracket plate coincide with a line inclined somewhat upwardly forwardly from horizontal, when the loading frame is horizontally disposed, whereby hanger bars 22, mounted within said slots, are progressively and successively forwardly elevated with respect to the base 16. V

A garment folding member is pivotally associated with the inner end portion of said loading frame 10, and said folding member comprises a pair of curved arms 23 pivotally connected to the member 10, as at 24, and the outer free ends of said arms are joined by' a transverse garment folding bar 25. Said garment folding member may be raised to the position shown'in Fig. 1, or it may be lowered against the garment loading frame, as shown in Fig. 4. In the latter position the transverse bar 25thereof rests across the forward reduced end portions of the brackets 17, and the arms 23 close the entrances to the bracket slots 20 and thereby lock the garment hanger bars 22 within the slots'and prevent dislodgment of said hanger bars.

The garment hanger bars 22 have their ends fitted with metal caps 26 adapted to lodge within the bracket slots 20, and said caps, inwardly of the inner faces of the brackets, are formed with annular flanges 27, whereby longitudinal shifting of the hanger bars is prevented and garments on the bars are guarded against being caught by the bracket slots.

In order to load the improved luggage carrier with garments accommodated by the loading unit 10, said loading unit is first disposed in a horizontal position either within the body section 8 on the ledges 11, or exteriorly of the body section on any suitable support. Prior to loading it is essential that the garment folding member be swung away from the loading frame 10 to a substantially vertical position, whereupon the garment hangers 22 are freely vertically removable from the slots 20 of the brackets 17. Upon removal of the hangers 22, garments 28 may be draped thereabout, substantially medially, after which the draped hangers are moved rearwardly with respect to the loading frame and the hangers are engaged in the bracket slots, commencing with the rearward slots and working forwardly. Due to this manner of loading and the stepped relationship of the hangers relative to the frame base 16, the garments will be forwardly overlapped, extending over the front edge of the loading frame, as in Fig. 1. Next, the garment folding member may be lowered so that its bar 25 extends across the garments substantially midway between the folds of the same over the hangers and the outer ends of the garments. If, the loading frame has been loaded exteriorly of the luggage carrier it should then be disposed within the body section 8 on the ledges or cleats 11 The projecting ends of the garments should then be folded rearwardly over the bar 25, as in Fig. 2 When the cover section 9 is closed with respect to the body section the spring clips 12 will engage the sides of the base 16 of the loading frame within the recesses 29 provided therefor. If the cover section be subsequently raised or opened the spring clips will hold said loading frame within the cover section with the base of the of the cover section by disengaging it from the spring clips. The disengaged loading frame or tray may be rested horizontally on the body section or on any other suitable support and then, with the folding member swung upwardly, any one or more of the garment hangers 22 may be removed from the brackets without disturbing the others. The multiplicity of garment hangers 22 obviously provides for loading the tray-like frame with a maximum number of garments within a minimum space, but it is within the scope of the invention to provide the brackets 17 with a lesser number or only one pair of alined slots 20 with one or more hanger bars therefor.

.In addition to its use within a luggage carrier the improved loading unit is susceptible of use for the convenient holding of draped garments within closets, wardrobes and the like. For this purpose the inner or rear end portion of the base of the loading unit is provided with a medially positioned, pivotal hook 30 and the entire loading unit with garments on the hanger bars thereof is depended by said hook vertically within the closet or wardrobe, as in the position shown in Fig. 5. In moving the loading unit, the lowered garment folding member will prevent displacement of the hanger bars from the bracket slots, and when the loading unit is depended vertically, the inclination of the slots of the brackets, gravity, and the slot projections 21 will prevent undesired displacement of the hanger bars.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a luggage carrier and loading unit construction which is simple and compact and which is moreover highly eflicient in operation and use. The garments confined within the luggage carrier by the loading unit will not be undesirably wrinkled and areeifectively protected against damage and soiling. The improved loading unit is obviously applicable to various types of luggage carriers, and by mounting the garment hangers upon the bodily movable tray-like frame, the construction is reduced to its simplest form because it avoids necessity of providing special mounting means for the hangers within the cover section. The unitary construction of the loading unit whereby the hangers and the folding member are mounted upon a common frame provides rigidity and simplicity, and furthermore presents a construction which can be loaded and unloaded without undue study or experience on the part of the user.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and to the precise mode of use herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An article of manufacture comprising, a tray having opposite side walls each provided with a series of slots opening away from the tray, corresponding opposed slots being alined with each other and the bottoms of the successive sets of said slots being progressively different distances away from said tray, a series of garment hanger bars detachably associable with said slot sets in parallel relation to each other but at progressively different distances from said tray, and a garment folding rod carried by said tray and located remote from said slots.

2. An article of manufacture comprising, a tray having opposite side walls each provided with a series of inclined slots opening away from the tray, corresponding opposed slots being alined with each other and the bottoms of the successive sets of said slots being progressively farther away from said tray advancing from one end thereof, a series of garment hanger bars detachably associable with said slot sets in parallel relation to each other but at progressively greater distances from said tray advancing from said end,

, a frame pivotally attached to said tray, and a garment folding rod carried by said frame, and

series of slots opening away from the tray, corresponding opposed slots being alined with each other and the bottoms of the successive sets of said slots being progressively different distances away from said tray, a series of garment hanger bars detachably associable with said slot sets in parallel relation to each other but at progressively different distances from said tray, a frame carried by said tray, and a garment folding rod carried by said frame remote from said slots, said frame being operable upon movement of said rod to lock all of said bars within said slots.

4. An article of manufacture comprising, a tray having opposite side walls each provided with a series of inclined slots opening away from the tray, corresponding opposed slots being alined with each other and the bottoms of the successive sets of said slots being progressively farther away from said tray advancing from one end thereof, a series of garment hanger bars detachably associable with said slot sets in parallel relation to each other but at progressively greater distances from said tray advancing from said end, a frame pivotally attached to said tray, and a garment folding rod carried by said frame and disposable adjacent to said tray remote from said slots, said frame being operable upon swinging of said rod toward said tray to lock all of said bars within said slots.

5. An article of manufacture comprising, a tray having opposite side walls each provided with a series of downwardly inclined slots opening away from the tray, corresponding opposed slots being alined with each other and the bottoms of the successive sets of said slots being farther away from said tray advancing from the upper end thereof, a series of garment hanger bars detachably associable with said slot sets in parallel relation to each other but at progressively greater distances from said tray advancing downwardly, a frame swingable about a pivotal axis located above said slots toward and away from the lower end of said tray, and a garment folding rod carried by said frame, said frame being cooperable with said bars to lock the same within said slots when said rod is swung toward said tray.

JULIUS BITTER, JR. 

